Cactus Wilted
by Alex Warlorn
Summary: It looks like Jezebel is the one to fake her own death to draw James back home this time. Or is it fake?


Cactus Wilted  
  
It looks like Jezebel is the one to fake her own death to draw James back home this time. Or is it fake?  
  
I know I can't spell pokemon names. I didn't mean to get the spelling of her name wrong. My main inspiration for this came from Azrobas and Charles RB.  
  
On a personal note, I've always found it idiotic how men are allowed to be hurt by women in anime but never the other way around.  
  
I know I can't spell names.  
  
Also thanks to Terry Goodkind and bit of Lupine III.  
  
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
James' first reaction was. "They must think I'm as dense as the brat." Yes. James was reading an obituary in the newspaper, quite by accident really, his group had stolen the rag hoping to find some note of their latest villainous exploits, no such luck. Instead James had found a morgue report on the death by suicide of one Jessiebell Southerns. 'Having taken her own life in a fit of despair over her reject by her childhood fiancé-' James couldn't read anymore, he was laughing too hard. Did his family really think that pulling the same stunt twice with different window dressing would lure him back to that pit of misery he had once called home? James was seriously worried he was going to bust a gut if he read one more word. He tossed the paper onto their campfire. At least he had something to entertain himself with next time one of their devious master works was ruined. He didn't even bother to mention it to Jessie and Meowth when they came back from food raiding. It wasn't like it was anything important.  
  
Weeks came and went, giant robots got blown up and replaced. James had completely forgotten what he had read in the paper. They had managed to hold off Delibird's rather painful methods of demanding payment for their Team Rocket dues for another month. James had had no word from his family, not that that was very surprising, it wasn't like he was listed in the phone book under felons. Back to the subject of Delibird, the ice pokemon's 'requests' for pay off had grown more violent every month. The Rockets knew that their days were numbered if they couldn't pay off their debt and soon. But short of catching MewTwo or winning the lottery, it didn't seem too likely. That was when Meowth had one of his 'brilliant' ideas. The pair knew whenever Meowth used the word 'brilliant' it would involve misery for one of them. And as fate would have it was James' turn. Again.  
  
At least this time it didn't involve any over sized pokemon and undersized nets. Unfortunately, it did involve James' least favorite spot in the world. On the bright side they didn't want him to marry that psychopath Jessiebell. All he had to do was sneak onto the estate (he knew the lay of the house the best) grab some items worth some hard cash and run like heck so they could pawn them off. Using was precious remained if their funds they made a beeline for James' old home.  
  
Which had been harder (?), writing the letter, or finding the person to give it too? Jessiebell didn't know. Having hid her heart behind a twisted mask for so long letting her feelings speak true to her pace maker had been painfully hard. Then came the monumental task of getting her message to him. Bribing police to have a look at records of James' movements, then hiring the right people to find him, had been anything but easy, even less easy was hiding these actions from her and James' families, if they knew where he was they'd just have him brought home hog tied, and of course, she'd have hell to pay explaining why she had kept quite about it in the first place. After everything, she wondered if she'd even get a response. She got one alright.  
  
-You stay away from James you evil narcissist hellbitch!- That had been the response. The letter not even opened. Jessiebell knew whom THAT had to be from. The look alike of her that had been with James when he had been lured back home. She wondered if that double of her was interested in James like she was. Of course, she could also wonder if James could love anyone who looked like the girl who drove him crazy as a child, and the woman who had tried with great malice and pleasure to break him, to turn him into a shadow of the man he was. So of course, who could blame his friends to telling her to jump into a meat grinder? After all, she was the monster. She was the creature who knew no emotion except the feeling of satisfaction when it harmed another. She was the one who had been too scared and too timid to do what he had done. Defied his oppressive parents and the cast iron system of high society. So scared of being hurt that she was willing to hurt others to avoid it. He had had the courage to throw off the role those around him had stamped on his forehead, she hadn't. She wondered, had she subconsciously tried to make scars on James' back that were identical to hers? To turn him into what she had become? Something with the freewill sucked out of them so long ago they could do nothing but what she was told? She had wanted to tell him she didn't want to, that she wasn't doing this because she loved it, but because she was just so scared. That she had no choice. She looked at the message on the letter again. No, she did have one choice: it would free James, and perhaps her too. And there was nothing anyone around her could do to stop her.  
  
James was gone for hours on what was supposed to be a simple smash and grab. Jessie and Meowth began to wonder if she had been captured by a red haired demon. They cringed at the thought. It meant they would have to go to the trouble of rescuing him again, thought all that high paid security. Just as Jessie and Meowth began discussion the virtues of being a duo the blue hair man stumbled back into their mists. James was as white a ghost, and his expression was just like one too. Jessie just couldn't believe it: all that time and he hadn't stolen a single thing! His hands were empty. After whacking him one for being him she demanded to know what the deal was. James didn't respond. Actually he did respond, just not the way Jessie wanted him to. He started to cry. Then Meowth noticed James' hands weren't completely empty. In his right hand he had a poke' ball. Deciding that something was better than nothing she took the ball out of his hand, or tried to. His grip was surprisingly strong on the little thing and he actually bit Jessie's hand when she tried to pry it away from him. What the heck? Since when did he have a backbone around her?  
  
James sat down Indian style and slowly stroked the tiny container. After several hours of demanding to know what was going on James only looked at them blankly and let the poke ball slowly roll out of his hand. Instead of Growlie coming out like the other rocket thought however, what came out instead was a Vileplume. The pokemon looked even worse than James did. It was like she had died and her heart had forgotten to stop beating (or what ever coincided with a plant-type). She didn't even care where she was or whom she was with. Meowth actually poked the plant to make sure she was alive. She instantly broke down. Meowth was the only one who understood her words, but as to what she was saying was well beyond him. In between ranting sobs he managed to make out.  
  
-Shouldn't have. Sleep Power. Too much. Lied. Not having trouble sleeping. Couldn't stop.- Meowth scratch the back of head, his claws drawn in of course. What the heck was the demented vegetable talking about? Deciding that this was just going to be one of those unsolved mysteries Jessie decided it was time to leave. Maybe they could round some cash with another batch of fake and/or cheap made pokemon league merchandise. As James trudged after the others he looked back one last time at his old home, and for now and always, saw nothing but a gravestone.  
  
~ Fin  
  
_________________  
  
Flames (I'm not a coward), comments, reactions, suggestion (VERY welcome), rants, reviews good or bad, compliments, insults, critical and constructive criticism all welcome.  
  
Oh yea, please, don't just say 'MORE!' those reviews just leave me kinda empty.  
  
If you have an axe to grind with a review of mine E-MAIL me! I leave it public for a reason. 


End file.
